Carrot punch or carrot juice as it’s also called in the Caribbean is one of those rich and creamy drinks you’ll find being made throughout the region. Recipes may differ, but the base ingredient of freshly grated (or food processor as in my case) carrots is constant. Chilled with a few cubes of ice on a hot Caribbean day, this drink is both filling and very refreshing.
If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.
Wash and peel the carrots. I find that peeling the carrots with a peeler causes a lot of wastage, so I scrape the side of it with my knife under cool water. This way only a thin layer is removed. Then you have the option of either cutting each carrot into small pieces and using a food processor or blender to puree everything. Or you can certainly go old-school as our dad would and use a box grater.
In two batches I placed half the carrots and half the water into my food processor and had it go on high for a few minutes, until you have pureed pulp. Empty into a large bowl and do the other batch.
It’s now time for some manual labor. Strain the pulp/liquid into another bowl (use a fine strainer or cheese cloth), then squeeze the remaining pulp to get every drop of juice out. If you use a cheese cloth you’ll find that you can wring out a lot more juice than if it’s just your hands. Give the remaining juice another strain to remove any remaining pulp.
It’s now time to spice things up and sweeten the punch as it’s traditionally done. Whisk in the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, then pour in the sweetened condensed milk. Start off with 1/2 a can and add more as needed. I used the entire can! Whisk well, chill and serve.
There’s enough carrot punch here for about 8 people and if you’re impatient like me and can’t wait for it to chill in the fridge, you can drop in a few cubes of ice and enjoy! You can also add a few shots of rum to the mix, if you want to serve as a sort of cocktail to the grown folks.
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My first true encounter with ‘good’ Jamaican festivals was breakfast at our friend Dino’s home in Portmore Jamaica several years ago. Imagine waking up to a full spread of festivals, ackee and saltfish, boiled green bananas and to top it all off, a piping hot cup of rich and creamy Milo! Moms (Dino’s mom) had us set for the day! When the day came for us to continue our trek through Jamaica (Ocho Rios > Montego Bay then Negril) it was painful to know that we won’t be waking up to such a wonderful home-cooked breakfast anymore.
My inquisitive self had to investigate this wonderful Jamaican Festivals recipe in more detail, so with some arm-twisting I got mom to leave me with some hints. Here we go…
You’ll Need…
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
* About 3 cups of veg oil for frying.
In a large bowl sift in the flour and baking powder, then add the cornmeal, sugar and salt. Give that a quick whisk to mix the ingredients, before we start adding water.
It’s now time to start adding the liquids, so pour in the vanilla and start adding the water a little at a time as you whisk everything around. As it stars to take the shape of dough, you will need to get your hands in there and start kneading. If you find that the 1/2 cup of water was not enough, do drizzle in some more. The idea is to work it for 5-7 minutes, until you have a well formed dough ball that’s firm dough and slightly sticky. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow the dough to rest for about 1/2 hr.
After it’s rested, dust your work surface with four and divide the dough ball into 8 equal (as best you can) parts. Then using your hands form each piece into a cigar shape. Try to make them about 6-8 inches long and not overly thick. They will increase in size as they fry.
It’s now time to fry these until they are golden brown and get ready to enjoy some of the best fried dumplings you’ve ever had. Heat the vegetable oil on med, then gently add the shaped festivals dough into the pan. Allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes before you flip them over. In total you’ll probably need between 5-6 minutes for each to be fully cooked and take on that lovely golden color we’re looking for. Have paper towels ready to drain off the excess oil after they’re cooked.
These Jamaican festivals are just amazing and you’ll love the crunchy exterior and the fluffy interior will have a lovely texture followed by the flavored sweetness of the vanilla and sugar.
Do try to serve warm and if you want to get a bit creative you can certainly dust them with some icing sugar if you want to make them more like a snack for the kids.
WINNER WANTED!
As I promised on Facebook a few days back, we’ve got a lovely 7 piece Tomodachi knife set to give out to one lucky winner. There was a lot of excitement when I posted that note, so I do expect to see a lot of entries for this giveaway. All you have to do is watch the following video and in the comment section directly below, let me know if the tutorial was helpful (basically what you like about it).
Your name will be automatically entered to win this beautiful knife set which I’m sure you’ll enjoy using. One lucky winner will then be chosen (randomly) and we’ll mail out the prize to you as we normally do.
Here are the rules pertaining to winning this knife set.
– contest is open to everyone globally (even if you won something here before)
– 1 winner will be chosen at random
– contest is open from May 30 – to midnight June 30.
– winner will be announced within 1 week of the official close date.
– the winner will have 1 week to contact us with their mailing address
– we will cover all shipping expenses (standard mail)
I hope you take a moment to enter your name as I’d really like to mail this wonderful collection of knives out to you. It’s simple, free and fun!
This green fig with saltfish recipe is a tribute to the wonderful people of St Lucia. On our first trip to St Lucia many moons ago I was fortunate to have something very similar to this meal and I remember our hosts saying that it was their national dish. I never really confirmed this, as we were too caught-up in enjoying the great food and general hospitality of St Lucia. BTW, if you ever visit St Lucia and you’re ‘convinced’ that you should go to signal hill… make sure you’re in good shape. That trek up the hill had me craving oxygen! My time would have been better spent drinking a coconut at the Castries market.
It’s funny how when you’re a child on the islands you always think whatever your mom made was her recipe or creation… not knowing that up and down the chain of islands known as the Caribbean the same dishes are prepared for kids just like us by their mom. How could this be a popular dish in St Lucia when our mom was the only one who knew how to make it?
You’ll Need…
2 lbs green cooking bananas
pinch black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 cups cabbage
2 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
3/4 cup saltfish
1 medium tomato
Notes. The salted fish will still have remaining salt, so keep this in mind when adding salt to the dish. Remember to wear gloves when handling scotch bonnet peppers and be sure to wash your hands with soap and water directly after. Green fig is simply green ‘cooking’ bananas.
You have 2 options when it comes to cooking the green fig (bananas), you can either peel them before boiling or peel after they’re done cooking. I’ll show you the simple method. Trim off the ends and discard, then using a sharp pairing knife cut a shallow cut (the thickness of the skin) down the length of the banana (follow one of the natural ridges). TIP: coat your hands with vegetable oil or wear gloves as the sap from the green bananas can stain or cause your hands to itch.
Place the trimmed bananas in a deep pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a rolling boil and let them cook for about 20 minutes. You’ll notice two things. They will darken (even go black) and where you made the cut, it will open up.
Drain and allow to cool so it’s easier to handle (peel).
The salt fish (salt cod in my case), was soaked in cool water, then drained. After which I placed it in a pot with about 4 cups of water and boiled for about 25 minutes. We need to rehydrate the dried salted fish and remove most of the salt it was cured in. I usually get boned salted fish, so there’s never any bones to remove. Rinse with cool water and squeeze dry. Now shred into the size flakes yo like.
Chop/shred your cabbage, onion, tomato, garlic, thyme and parsley. Then heat the vegetable oil (you can also use olive or coconut oil) on a medium flame in a deep sauce pan. Add the flaked salted fish and turn the heat down to low. Let that cook for about 4 minutes as we want to create a lovely flavor base.
Now add the onion, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper, black pepper and thyme and let it cook for a further 3 minutes.
Toss in the shredded cabbage and give it a good stir. It’s also now time to add the boiled bananas (they should be cool enough to handle). The cut we made before boiling them would have opened up, so simply peel back and remove the skin. If you see any sort of stringy things, remove those as well. Now chop into 1 inch pieces and add to the pot and sprinkle in the salt.
Turn the heat up to med/low and make sure to mix everything well so the flavors coat the green bananas. After about 4 minutes (depending how cooked you want the cabbage… I like a little crunch) toss in the diced tomato and parsley, give it a stir, cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the residual heat from the pot finish cooking things.
This is a one pot dish and there’s enough here for 2-3 people as a full meal. If it’s being used as a side it will be enough for about 5 people easily. I refer to such meals as “country” meals as it takes me back to when I was a carefree kid on the islands and life was very simple in our little village in the countryside.
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I must mention that I used chicken broth in this recipe and you’ll find it’s listed under the vegetarian section of the website so please use vegetable stock to make this fully vegetarian as I didn’t have any left in the pantry when I was putting the recipe together. If you can’t source Jamaican callaloo (chorai bhaji), any ‘greens’ will work (spinach, collard greens… even the green parts of pak choi (bok choy) or Swiss chard).
The flavors from the fresh herbs, scotch bonnet pepper, onion and the textures of the sweet potato and callaloo, will all combine for an excellent Caribbean inspired soup.
You’ll Need…
3 cups chicken broth
1 can (540 mL) Bean Medley
1 large onion diced
1 potato
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
8 cups Jamaican callaloo
1/4 cup parsley leaves with stems
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper.
1 diced sweet potato
2 scallions (spring / green onions)
1 tablespoon thyme
Notes. use veg stock for the veg version of this recipe. If you don’t have coconut oil, use extra virgin olive oil.
Start by prepping the ingredients.. wash, chop and dice. The sweet potato is peeled and diced as you would any regular potato and try to cube them in the same sizes. Remember to wear gloves when handling the scotch bonnet pepper, wash your hands with soap and do not include any of the seeds. That’s where the real fire is when it comes to such lethal peppers.
Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot on medium heat, then add the diced onion, garlic, parsley, thyme and scotch bonnet pepper. Turn the heat down to low and let that gently cook for about 3-5 minutes. We’re creating a lovely base for the soup at this point.
Wash, drain and trim the callaloo (cut into smaller pieces).. feel free to use any tender stems if you wish. Tough stems will not cook down and will give the soup a woody texture. Now add all the chopped callaloo to the pot and give it a good stir. It will wilt down as it cooks.
Add the cubed potatoes and all the other ingredients to the pot. Bring that up to a boil and reduce with the cover slightly ajar to a rolling boil for about 20-25 minutes.
I don’t like using beans straight out of the can, so I usually place the beans in a strainer and let cool water run over them to remove the grit and excess sodium in packed in.
Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. The vegetables will still have their shape so it’s now up to you (if you want to thicken it up a bit as I did), to use a stick blender and give it a couple quick buzz. DO NOT over do it. If you don’t have a stick (immersion) blender, you can take about a cup or 2 (not all) out and place it in your traditional blender and give it a couple pulses. Then return it back to the pot and give everything a good mix. If you don’t have either you can use a whisk or swizzle stick to break things down a little so it thicken up a bit.
This recipe is enough for 4-6 people as a starter and 3-4 as a full meal with some coconut bake or your favourite bread… please serve hot.
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Today we’ll be using two of my favorite ingredients in a combination similar to how our mom would do bhaji (dasheen bush) and salted fish (salt cod) when we were kids. With a little heat from scotch bonnet peppers and with a wicked garlic/onion base, it will be outstanding. And very quick to put together.
You’ll need…
1 med onion
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch spinach
2 cloves garlic
pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 cup pre-cooked shrimp.
Note: You can leave out the scotch bonnet pepper if you’re concerned about the heat (it’s minimal) and do try to get tiny pre-cooked shrimp as they tend to be “sweeter” as we say in the Caribbean.
This is a very quick recipe as spinach cooks really fast and the shrimp is already pre-cooked.
Heat the oil on a medium flame and add the diced onion and garlic. Turn the heat down to low and let it cook (soften) for about 3-4 minutes.
Wash and drain the spinach, turn up the heat to medium high and add the washed spinach. Top with the black pepper, scotch bonnet pepper and salt. Add the shrimp (I would recommend giving them a rinse in cool water and drain before adding to the pot) and give it a good stir. Do not cover the pan (you don’t want to create any additional moisture). It will quickly start to wilt and darken in colour.
Here is where you’ll personalize it a bit. When it’s cooked to your liking (about 3-4 minutes for me) turn off the stove. Remember to taste for salt and adjust accordingly.
Note: The spinach will naturally release liquid, so you may have to turn up the heat on your stove to burn that off quickly and not over-cook the spinach.
There’s enough here for 3-4 people as a side dish, so feel free to add more spinach if you’re cooking for a bigger party. Simply adjust the salt! If you can’t source spinach, Jamaican callaloo (or chorai bhaji) would be a good substitute.. just cook longer to soften.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
As a kid I hated the taste and texture of okra (ochro) but I can safely say that it’s now one of my favorite vegetables to use in cooking. Soups and stews is not complete without a few okras in there, but pan frying them is still my choice. Our mom probably gets a good laugh these days when I request fried okra when we visit her and my dad.. back in the day we (my brother and sisters) all refused to partake in anything okra related. Poor woman always had to cook something different for us.
When most people hear the word ‘vegetarian’ attached to a dish they automatically think it’s something bland and just plain ole flavorless. Nothing could be further from the truth with this vegetarian curry okra.
Note: Fried okra is notorious for needing a lot of oil (absorbs it) so I recommend using a non stick pan if you can, to eliminate the use for more oil.
Tip: To make sure the cooked okra is not slimy (as it can be) wash, pat dry then remove the stems and cut into desired thickness. Place the cut okra on a cookie sheet in a single layer and allow to air dry for a couple hours. Place in direct sun for even better results.
Dice the onion, garlic, hot pepper and pimento pepper (optional) . Then heat the vegetable oil on medium heat and toss in the diced onion and garlic. Turn the heat down to low and let that cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Now it’s time to add the curry powder and some fresh ground black pepper. The heat should still be on low as we want to toast the curry powder to release it’s flavors and not burn the curry. Let that go for 3 minutes.. be sure to stir. You should start getting that lovely curry aroma.
Add the diced peppers and stir. Turn up the heat to medium and start adding the cut okra to the pot. The idea is to stir-fry the okra in the curry base and here is where you’ll need to personalize this dish a bit. Depending on how ‘cooked’ you like okra, you will have to adjust your cooking time. Do NOT cover the pan as we don’t want steam/moisture to develop as this is another factor for making okra slimy.
I let it cook for about 15 minutes before it was to my liking. At this point I salted the dish (always try to salt okra near the end of cooking so it does not develop moisture.. a tip I got from Cynthia @ https://www.tasteslikehome.org/) and gave it a final stir. You’ll notice how the okra maintained most of it’s brilliant green color, with tasty caramelized edges and the curry base with just delightful.
You’ll love sharing this vegetarian curry okra with your family and friends and there’s enough here for 4-5 people as a side dish. I love having this curry okra with sada roti (sada roti recipe), but it’s also works well as an accompaniment to rice or as any typical vegetable side dish.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
I remember our mom having this ready for our dad when he came home from work after a long day with dhal (yellow split peas) and rice.. always had some sliced cucumber and water cress on the side. My king would be in dinner ecstasy! Fry dry as it was known in our home, wasn’t something me and my siblings looked forward too as our dad, as we hated the tiny little bones of the sardines. Something if fried correctly will have a slight crunch and can be eaten as well.
You’ll Need…
1lb sardines
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic
1 shallot
2 sprig thyme
2 scallions
1 tablespoon parsley
3 leaves shado beni
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
pinch black pepper
1 lemon (juice) for the marinade
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
* about 2 cups of veg oil for frying
Notes: If you can’t source shado beni, use double the amount of cilantro. Remember to not use any of the seeds from the scotch bonnet pepper if you’re concerned about the raw heat. And do wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling these lethal peppers.
* Scale and gut the sardines (if it wasn’t already done for you at the fish market), then wash with the juice of a lime or lemon and cool water. Drain and get ready to marinate.
Place all the ingredients mentioned above (except the flour, curry powder and fish) into a blender or food processor and blend into a paste. Be prepared for a very refreshing (herbal) scent.. you’ll love it!
Pour the marinade onto the cleaned sardines and mix well. Try to get some into the belly cavity of the fish. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours. If you don’t have a blender, chop the ingredients very finely.
As the vegetable (any oil which can withstand high heat) oil heats on a medium flame, it’s time to make the seasoned flour to roll the marinated sardines in. Basically all you have to do is place the flour (all purpose) on a plate and mix in the curry powder (madras blend). Then coat each sardine in the seasoned flour. Try to keep some of the marinade on the fish as you dust them in the flour. Be sure to shake off excess flour.
Place in the hot oil and cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes… you’re looking for it to go golden in color and crispy. After about 7-8 minutes (I know it sounds like a long time to cook tiny fish.. but we want these crispy) remove, drain on paper towels and do try to serve as hot as you can.
There will be enough here for 3-4 people as a side dish and these crispy fried sardines can also double as a snack. Serve warm, with pepper sauce as a dip.. a garlic sauce would also go well.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
This soup follows on the North American way of roasting root vegetables during the colder months to intensify their flavors and to bring out the natural sweetness. I’ve been calling Canada home in excess of 20 years, so it’s only natural that I use this technique, but with a Caribbean twist. You’ll see me add some richness with coconut milk and the Caribbean sunshine (scotch bonnet peppers) will make an appearance.
Unlike the heavy soups laden with ground provisions we are accustomed to in the Caribbean, this soup will be much lighter, but very filling and quite comforting.
You’ll Need…
1 acorn squash (butternut squash works well also)
1 large sweet potato
3 cups veg stock
1 large shallot
4 cloves of garlic (with skin)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup coconut milk
Note: you can also add your fav herbs and top with freshly grated nutmeg and chopped chives.
Cut the sweet potato, squash and shallot in half. Then using a spoon, scoop out the inside of the squash and discard. Now brush each (cut side) with the olive oil and place then cut side facing down on your roasting tray, along with the garlic (skin on). Place the tray in a 375F heated oven for about 35-40 minutes.
In the meantime you can dice the scotch bonnet pepper, very finely. Remember to wear gloves when handling such hot peppers and do wash your hands with soap and water before touching anywhere. Don’t use any of the seeds or white membrane directly surrounding the seeds as that’s where the raw heat will be.
Allow the roasted vegetable to cool a bit so we can easily handle them, then using a spoon, scoop out all the flesh and place into your soup pot. Remember to remove the skins from the garlic and shallots and place them in the pot as well.
Basically all the other ingredients listed above goes into the pot at this point. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes (remember to stir every 4-5 minutes) it’s time to puree a bit and make smooth. I used my submersion blender and went at it for about 1 minute. I ended up with a smooth and silky soup. Do taste for salt and adjust accordingly. If you don’t have a submersion blender you can (make sure to allow it to cool a bit first) use a traditional blender to puree it. You can then place back in the pot and reheat a bit since we had to cool it down so it’s safe to work with in the blender.
Top with chopped chives and make sure you have some good bread to enjoy this lovely roasted vegetarian soup. There will be enough here for about 6 people as a side dish or starter and 4 people as a complete meal with toasted bread.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. Oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
If you’re looking to add a little Caribbean flavor to your baking/dessert repertoire, I’ve got a simple and delicious coconut mango cookie recipe to share with you. If I recall correctly the range of baking (desserts) in our kitchen when we were kids in the Caribbean, were cakes and in some cases pastries. Our mom never owned a cook book, so what she prepared was always something which were pass down to her from her mom and elders around her, as she was growing up. Baked desserts were limited, but she did make up for that with ‘real’ food. Dad made a killer currants roll, but the mess that man would make in the kitchen would resemble the aftermath of a hurricane.
This recipe will mimic that of a short bread cookie, but with the coconut and chopped dried mango, you’ll get a unique undertone of the Caribbean.
You’ll Need…
1 cup butter (soft)
2/3 cup super fine sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup dry shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 cup dried mango
2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 375 F and line your cookie sheet with parchment paper as we get the dough ready.
Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk until you have a smooth consistency and the butter mixture goes pale. Then beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract.
Sift in the flour into the bowl and add the pinch of salt. Add in the chopped mango (I used dehydrated mango which I chopped into pieces) as well as the shredded coconut into the bowl and give this a good mix until everything is combined thoroughly. It will be a stiff dough and somewhat crumbly.
Scoop out tablespoon heaps and place (press down gently) on the lined cookie sheet and bake for about 12-15 minutes or until you get some golden brown happening. Your home will have a wonderful scent and you will be tempted to dive in. Hold your horses.. let then cool for about 10 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer onto a cooling rack. The texture will be a bit crumbly, so it’s important that they cool well.
There you go… a simple yet outstanding way to enjoy coconut and mango in cookies. You can certainly freeze this dough if you want to make it in advance and thaw, then bake when you’re ready. Makes about 30 cookies.. depends on how big you make them.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. Oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
Ask any Trinbagonian what’s their favorite dessert/snack and I can guarantee it would be almost impossible to find someone who would not say currants roll. A lovely flaky dough filled with cinnamon, brown sugar and currants.. layers and layers of island delight. There are some who like it somewhat wet or moist and compact and then there are those of us who look for that balance of perfect pasty exterior and a filling you’re only too excited to bite into. Before I drool on my keyboard, lets get to the recipe…
You’ll Need…
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter (cold, in cubes)
1/2 cup veg shortening (cold, in cubes)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup or more ice cold water
Filling mixture:
1 1/2 cups currants
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk
* Sugar for sprinkling (optional)
Notes. The key to flaky pasty crust is to use cold ingredients (water/butter) and don’t overwork with your hands as the natural heat can warm things up quickly.
Let’s start off by making the dough for the pastry, since we’ve got to give it time to chill in the fridge for at least 1/2 an hour (2hrs is best). Cut the chilled butter and shortening (place in the freezer for about 25 minutes if you want), then sift the flour into a food processor, add the salt and cubed butter and vegetable shortening. Remember it’s important to use ice cold water. Before adding any water, give the mixture a few pulses in the food processor.. until you have the texture of little peas. Now start adding the water, about 3/4 cup to start and work it until you have a dough which will start to take shape. Add more water was needed. (it will look crumbly)
Empty the now semi-formed dough onto a flour-dusted surface and (work quickly) shape into a smooth dough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for about 2 hours.
As the dough chills in the fridge you can make the mixture for the filling. Very simple – in a large bowl, place the cinnamon, currants and brown sugar and give everything a good mix. If you want to be a bit creative you can certainly add some raisins and a drop of vanilla.. but remember that the vanilla is not a traditional ingredient.
It’s now time to put things together and get these tasty treats in the oven. Cut the main dough ball into 2 pieces, then roll out the first one on a flour dusted surface. Be sure to dust your hands and rolling pin with flour as well. This dough can be a bit sticky. Roll until you have a thin (less than 1/2 centimeter) rectangle shape. Now brush the surface with 1/2 of the melted butter.
It’s now time to add the lovely stuffing and roll into shape. Pour 1/2 of the currant mixture onto the flattened dough, but leave about 2.5 centimeters as a border without any. Try to make sure it’s spread evenly. Now as if rolling a fat cigar (very tight) roll into a cylindrical shape. Remember the tighter you can roll this, the more lovely layers the finished currants roll will have. Be sure to pinch the ends to create a seal.
Repeat with the next piece of dough and remaining currant mixture. And set onto a parchment line baking sheet.
Beat the egg and milk and brush the surface of each roll to give it a lovely golden color when it’s done in the oven. The final step (optional) is to sprinkle with some granulated sugar before placing into a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes (middle rack). You’re looking for a lovely golden color.
The scent coming out of your oven will have you impatient (can you say eager anticipation?)and your children will be pacing and finding every excuse in the book to see what’s going on in the kitchen.
Allow to cool before slicing (the traditional way is to slice on an angle) so it has enough time to set and not fall apart especially if you’re using a blunt knife (I used a serrated blade). BTW you can brush with melted butter and sprinkle more sugar immediately after it comes out of the oven for that extra touch.
Yes, it’s that time again. I’ve got a wicked cookbook “Italian Kitchen – Traditional and contemporary recipes for perfect Italian cuisine” to give away to one lucky reader and I’m hoping it’s you. Each recipe comes with a beautiful picture so you know what the dish is supposed to look like, simple step by step instructions and best of all.. they’re very easy to put together. All you have to do is leave me a comment in the comment section below and your name will be automatically entered..
WINNER WANTED!
There are two bonus ways you can have your name entered in the contest, giving you 3 chances at winning. Along with leaving a comment below, go to the Facebook fan page and/or the Youtube cooking channel and leave a comment there.
Here are the rules pertaining to winning this cookbook.
– contest is open to everyone globally (even if you won something here before)
– there are 3 ways to enter your name (see above)
– 1 winner will be chosen at random (if you left 3 comments, your name will be entered 3 times)
– contest is open from April 21 – to midnight May 1.
– winner will be announced within 1 week of the official close date.
– the winner will have 1 week to contact us with their mailing address
– we will cover all shipping expenses (standard mail)
I hope you take a moment to enter your name as I’d really like to mail this wonderful cookbook out to you. It’s simple, free and fun!
This Creole sauce is turning out to be one of the most controversial recipes I’ve shared to date. After posting the recipe video on the Cooking Channel, there’s been a lot of comments about it not being authentic. Here’s the thing about cooking and recipes, it’s usually how you’ve learned to make the dish or how you like it. So when you see me add an ingredient like tomato paste to the sauce, rest assured that’s the way I like it. I use the traditional way (in most cases) of doing a dish as the base and try to add my own little touch. That said, there are some recipes where I will not alter the traditional format of preparing it as I don’t want to disrespect centuries of tradition.
You’ll Need…
1 medium Onion
3/4 cup celery
3/4 cup green pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 large tomato
1.5 cups chicken stock
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 scallion
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped parsley.
2 tablespoon olive oil
Start off by chopping/dicing the scallions, green pepper, onion, tomato, garlic (finely), celery, parsley and scotch bonnet pepper. Then heat the olive oil on a medium heat and add the diced celery, onion and green pepper. Turn the heat down to low and let that gently cook for about 8-10 minutes.
Everything will be soft and tender now and you’ll have a wonderful base for this delicious creole sauce. Turn up the heat to med/high and add all the other ingredients, except the chopped parsley.
Stir well, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down so you have a gentle simmer going. Cook for about 25 minutes, with the lid ajar on the sauce pan.
Now remove the lid and let it cook on medium heat to thicken up a bit. Remember to fish out the bay leaf and if you did as I did.. remove the thyme stems and discard. It should only take a few minutes to thicken up. Finish off with the chopped parsley.
This creole sauce is excellent on fish (fried, baked, poached, grilled) and other grilled meats. You can certainly make this in advance and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for at least a week. Just heat and serve when you’re ready to add a classic French Caribbean flavor to your dishes.
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Without a doubt, this will become THE go-to dessert recipe in your home as it is in ours. With juicy pineapple dusted with cinnamon and grilled to release it’s natural sugars and juices, then simmered in a wonderful rum / brown sugar sauce.. yum! On it’s own or as a topping for a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream, this grilled pineapple will excite your taste buds! Can someone please tell me why our mom never made this for us, when we had pineapple growing in our back yard as a boy on the islands? Mom, we need to have a serious chat!
You’ll Need…
1 ripe pineapple
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup golden brown sugar
4 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Notes: You can top this with some toasted coconut flakes if you want to add some additional flavor and texture to this wonderful dessert. Additionally, you can add some raisins in the rum sauce if you’re like me and like rum and raisin ice cream.
I’m sure you can use pineapple in the can (tin) but I much refer to use a fresh pineapple, as long as it’s fully ripe. If your grocery store doesn’t have them fully peel and cored, here’s a quick video I did a while back showing how simple it is…
I must mention that if you’re serving this to minors or you don’t deal with alcohol, no worries. All the alcohol burns off during the simmering process… but you do get a wonderful flavor from it.
Peel, core and trim the pineapple into spears, then sprinkle with the cinnamon and toss around. I used a stove top cast iron grill pan for grilling (you can use your out door grill, indoor grill or heat in a non-stick frying pan). Brush the grill pan with some vegetable oil or cooking spray, then (med/high heat) grill the pineapple spears for 3-4 minutes on each side. Set aside as we get the sauce ready. Try not to over-grill or you’ll find the pineapple will go soft and loose it’s shape.
In a fairly deep sauce pan on medium heat, add the brown sugar and butter and cook/stir until it’s melted and starts to go a darker color and develop big bubbles (frothy). Takes about 4-6 minutes. Remember to keep stirring.
Now turn off the heat and gently pour in the rum. Have a whisk handy as it will clump and you’ll think it’s ruined. Fear not, keep stirring. After 2 minutes of stirring, turn the heat back on (the alcohol should have dissipated by now) and keep stirring until you have a semi-thick consistency. Have the heat on medium. Now add the grilled pineapple pieces to the pan and gently toss the sauce all over them. Cook for a couple minutes (until all the flavors blend and you have the consistency you’ll be happy with).
Your kitchen will have the wonderful scent of the brown sugar, grilled pineapple and the rum will just take this to another level.. wicked for days! You can store in a sealed container in the fridge for a week or so, just microwave to heat every time you’re ready to use. I average sized pineapple will give you enough for 4 people and about 6-8 people as a topping for ice cream.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. Oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.
